Problem Assessment and Interventions for Improving Agricultural Methods and Practices among Small and Marginal Farmers in Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Agriculture is a primary occupation globally, especially for farmers in rural areas. If successful, it can provide stable income and food security for eighty percent of the world’s poor living in rural areas. However, many poor rural farmers face multiple challenges to agricultural success, threatening their food security, income, and livelihoods. This study aimed to investigate and assess the challenges related to farming methodologies and work practices of small and marginal farmers in a rural village located in Rajasthan, India. An ethnographic, naturalistic study was conducted. Results indicated significant challenges to agricultural outcomes, including lack of necessary agricultural technologies, excessive expenses related to machine rentals (e.g., tractors, threshers), selection of soil nutrients based on intuition, destruction of crops by animal invasion, inconsistent electricity supply for agricultural needs, and lack of roads. One of the most pressing issues was the need for low-cost machinery, particularly a multi-purpose thresher, to significantly reduce excessive manual labor and expenses. A cost-efficient multi-grain thresher is introduced that runs on renewable energy and provides safety measures in the feeding mechanism, making it easy to use. This technology can lessen the strenuous physical exertion of farmers and laborers, also increasing their income.